Page 7 of Enemy Boss

When I woke up and caught Max trying to sneak out without waking me up, with no sign of a note anywhere, I knew she didn’t want to see me again. I don’t have her number or her surname. I don’t use social media so I wouldn’t know where to start looking for her on there. Which means I have tried the one thing I could try and that hasn’t worked. I don’t let myself think about the fact that I have a private investigator that would likely find her in less than a day even with nothing more to go off than a first name and a physical description.

No, the universe has spoken again. It spoke last week, having me turn up just in the nick of time to meet Max. And now it speaks again telling me I won’t be seeing her again.

“Of course not,” I reply.

Liam smiles.

“What?” I say, not liking where this is going at all.

Liam’s smile widens and he laughs and claps me on the shoulder.

“It’s a woman, isn’t it? My little brother is in love,” he says.

“It’s not a woman,” I say, and I know Liam isn’t convinced because even to my ears my words sounded like a lie. I sigh and roll my eyes. “OK. It’s a woman. But I’m not in love with her. I only met her once. I just thought she might be here tonight. But she obviously isn’t so I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

“Now,” Liam says. “You know how much I hate this place.”

I nod my agreement and Liam and I cross the dance floor and leave the club. As we walk down the concrete stairs, I can’t help but think of Max and how she fell and if she hadn’t have done that, we likely wouldn’t have spoken let alone anything else. I keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give Liam any more ammunition against me. He of all people should understand enjoying the single life because he loves it himself.

We get to the bottom of the stairs and start across the parking lot, heading to Liam’s car. We reach it and he unlocks it with a beep of his fob. He gets in and I approach the passenger side door. I take one last look at the club and my heart does a double beat. Max is there at the top of the stairs with some other women. We must have literally missed each other by a second or two.

I know the moment Max spots me. It feels like the world stops for a moment as her eyes lock on mine and we just look at each other across the parking lot. Maybe the universe wanted us to meet again after all. Should I go back? Can I stand the teasing from Liam?

I’m about to go back when the passenger door window rolls down.

“Come on Cullen,” Liam says. “Let’s go.”

His voice breaks the spell and I look away from Max and open the door. Of course I’m not going to go back. Universe be damned. Max is hot and the sex is amazing, but as a person, she sucks. I am not going to go running back to the club for someone I don’t even like all that much.

Chapter 6

Cullen

One Year Later

“So, what’s this really about Mom?” I ask before taking a forkful of her amazing chicken pasta bake, my favorite meal from when I was a young child and still my favorite meal now. I put it into my mouth and move it from side to side with my tongue as it burns my mouth and then I chew it, making an “umm” sound as it cools slightly, and flavor hits me.

“What do you mean Cullen? Can’t a mother invite her son over for lunch and make his favorite meal without there being an ulterior motive?” my mom says, the twinkle in her eye telling me that I’m right to be suspicious of her motives.

I smile and shake my head as I swallow my mouthful of chicken pasta bake.

“Of course they can,” I say. “But don’t think I didn’t spot that banoffee pie on the side earlier. My favorite meal and my favorite desert. That has to be more than just a casual lunch.”

“OK, you got me,” my mom admits with a grin. “I did want to ask you a favor as it goes.”

“Fire away,” I say.

Whatever she wants, I’ll give it to her if it’s within my ability to do so. She has done everything for me and Liam, me even more so because I’m the youngest, and she deserves the world. My father died in an accident when I was four years old. If I’m truly honest, I don’t really remember him, although I do have all of my mom’s memories of the things, he and I did together in the short time we had each other. It sounds like he was a good, attentive husband and father and I know my mom still misses him to this day, twenty six years later.

Once he was gone, my mom didn’t allow herself to wallow in grief and self-pity. She threw herself into being both mom and dad to Liam and me and making sure we never went without. At one point, she worked three jobs just to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table.

I think it’s fair to say I owe her everything, although she would disagree and say she only did what any mom would do.

“Do you remember Hayley who I worked with a few years ago?” my mom asks.

I nod my head.

“Vaguely,” I say. “I remember you talking about her, but I think I only met her once or twice though.”

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